Druids, princes, warriors – the thrilling European Celtic Route

Some 2,500 years ago Saarland was an important European centre, together with Luxembourg, Lorraine, Rhineland-Palatinate and Wallonia in Belgium. It was inhabited by Celts, who achieved great things, although this is a little-known fact. The European Celtic Route links together fascinating, authentic locations where the enigmatic Celts once made history.

The druids, the greatest sorcerers, were the cultic and spiritual elite of late Celtic society. They were priests, judges and guardians of knowledge. Their blacksmiths forged the sharpest blades and created iron tools in designs still familiar today, and their princes were seen as feared warriors and the mightiest rulers. They laid the foundation for La Tène culture, the last flowering of Celtic culture. Otzenhausen still has its Celtic ring wall – the Hunnenring – which is regarded as Germany's best-preserved Celtic monument. Every two years in June this provides the backdrop for CELTOI – the international Celtic festival. Walkers can explore the Celtic world on the 7km Cerda & Celtoi sculpture trail, a series of artworks offering impressions of Celtic culture and spirituality – 18 sculptures ranging from abstract depictions to figures of gods that are metres tall. In Bundenbach, the small Celtic settlement Altburg offers an up-close experience of Celtic life. Birkenfeld Museum provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the Celts and their ideas about the afterlife. Belginum Archaeological Park in Wederath answers questions such as 'What did the Celts and the Romans eat?' 'How did they live?' 'What kind of clothes, tools and weapons did they have?' These are just some of the places that will punctuate your tour of discovery into this forgotten epoch.

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